Life through the Aftermath
by PlotbunnyChariot
Summary: After a tense battle involving the Enterprise, Uhura and Chapel reflect on their duties aboard the flagship, feeling the burden and lack of appreciation crashing down on them all at once. Who can help to heal the two women who bring life and strength to the whole ship? Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

**Life through the Aftermath**

**Chapter 1: Fight for your Life**

Christine Chapel, head nurse of the starship _Enterprise_, rushed around Sickbay administering to various patients' needs and nurses' questions. Their captain had just gotten into another one of his famous scuffles with friendly-enough-aliens turned hostile, and the wounded had swamped Sickbay with different shades of purple and red. Some crewmen were moderately injured with cuts and bruises (and the occasional burning) from collapsing machinery, but many had been directly in the line of fire and their wounds had bled red even while the Sickbay staff rushed to save them.

Christine herself was fatigued, but she didn't let on to that easily; under her sweet exterior lay a very tough woman who refused to give up, even in the face of _this_ mess. Before Dr. McCoy could ask for one, she tossed him a perfectly measured sedative hypo while at the same time grabbing a cool, damp cloth for a patient suffering from fever. _She's a whirlwind of a woman_, Dr. McCoy thought briefly as he administered the hypo, _but that's just what we need in a place like this_.

**oooooOOOOOOOooooo**

Nyota Uhura's fingers flew over her Communications station console, rapidly pressing buttons and turning dials to adjust the tuning of the incoming messages. Captain Kirk was behind her, facing the giant screen and pulling off one of his usual saving speeches, but she wasn't totally paying attention; she had to sort through dozens of reports coming in all at once-damage reports from Engineering and Security, swamps of Medical casualties, and most importantly, the transmissions from the enemy ship. It was vital she keep tabs on what they were planning, as well as making sure they didn't know she was listening in, deciphering their native language, and relaying the information to her superiors as was needed. Quickly scanning Scotty's report on the warp nacelles while listening to the foreign language coursing through her earpiece, she turned around in her chair just in time to receive Kirk's signal and close communications.

Captain Kirk sat-or rather stumbled-back down in his chair as the ship rocked from another alien hit.

"Captain, Mr. Scott reports warp nacelles functional up to Warp Three," Mr. Spock informed the Captain, his own dexterous fingers tapping through files on his console. Uhura continued listening to the alien tongue while sifting through ten more reports that had just come in from the overworked engineer; he had been too busy to call the Captain and tell him the news, but he had known if he sent the report to Uhura, she could forward it to Spock or tell the Captain herself. Forward it she had, as she was preoccupied with translating the alien language and learning their plans before it was too late.

**oooooOOOOOOOooooo**

Christine grabbed the sturdy railing of a bio-bed as the ship shivered and bucked, sending any medical equipment not strapped down or being used crashing to the ground. Luckily for the _Enterprise_ and her casualties, the Sickbay staff were far too efficient and trained in battle conditions to let much equipment fall. She whispered a quick word to the patient to soothe him before taking off for the next one who was just arriving, judging by the telltale whoosh of the Sickbay doors. It was then that she realized just who was coming in.

She rushed forward faster to reach him, if a speed boost was even possible, expertly weaving around the other nurses as the ship shook again. Seeing his condition, she immediately started rattling off the supplies she would need to the attending nurse and sending another one for Dr. McCoy, who was on the other side of the chaotic room.

"It's alright, Mr. Spock," she said steadily to the Vulcan whose green blood was slowly coating his head, "Dr. McCoy is coming. We'll have you back on your feet in no time." Spock didn't say anything in response, which worried Christine; turning to the nurse who had brought him in, she demanded to know what had happened.

Dr. McCoy assisted her in that. After quite a lot of swearing at the news that the Vulcan's head trauma was from his console exploding into sparks and bits of scrap metal, the doctor managed to get him on a bio-bed. McCoy scanned him rapidly and prepared to treat him, Christine at his side assisting the whole time. She was going to do all in her power to make sure Spock, as well as the other casualties, survived.

There really wasn't any other choice.

**oooooOOOOOOOooooo**

The ship ducked and groaned as Sulu piloted it out of harm's way and Chekov fired photon torpedoes with as much accuracy as he could at the foreign vessel. Scott's voice could be heard over the chaos from the Engineering deck surrounding him as he and Kirk tried to find the best way to get out of this mess alive.

Uhura kept listening and tuning, drowning out all other noise and sensations as were necessary and only focusing on finding the correct frequency for the aliens' engineering section. She had to find out where their ship's weak points were; she was likely the _Enterprise_'s best chance at taking down the strange vessel with Spock out of commission, Scott's engines compromising quickly, and the exhausted Captain trying desperately to hold the ship's beams and bolts together by the straps of his shoes.

Suddenly, she felt everything click and the alien tongue come into focus, unmistakable sounds of panic and confusion blaring into her earpiece. Something about their engines failing in Tier 2, near the outer hull. Perfect.

Spinning around in her chair, her clear voice arched over the chaos on the bridge and reached the Captain's ears. "Captain, their outer hull is weakening near the tail of the ship."

"Chekov, Sulu, go!" Kirk shouted, not needing to give specific orders to his highly trained men at that point in the battle.

Uhura turned back to her console, one eye on the ship's screen and the other on the reports piling in from the _Enterprise_, both ears filled with alien speech.

So when the _Enterprise _struck true and the other ship's hull collapsed, it was she who heard the almost unbearable rise in volume of the alien transmissions as hundreds of foreign crewmembers died and their ship exploded.

**oooooOOOOOOOooooo**

Christine leaned against one of Sickbay's walls and sighed heavily, sucking in air for dear life as the Captain announced that they had escaped the alien ship. Her eyes flitted open and she scanned the room, watching several nurses triple-check patients and equipment before leaving for their quarters. A few more patients had straggled in after the battle was over, but they were relatively unharmed and one of the junior nurses was able to take care of them while Christine caught her breath. Usually she would handle everything herself, but her junior had insisted, so here she was.

She glanced towards Spock's bio-bed and watched the monitors rise and fall with each breath he took. The head trauma had been more serious than usual with all the consoles exploding on the _Enterprise_, and he had been totally out of it when she and Dr. McCoy tended to him. McCoy had managed to stop the bleeding, both internally and externally, and patch up the skin, but a great deal of pressure had been put on the Vulcan's brain and he was still recovering. The doctor had told Christine as he left to tend other critical patients that their commanding officer had had a good chance of recovery, but she had worked too long with him in these conditions to not notice the worried crinkles around his eyes and mouth.

Spock was fighting for his life.

**oooooOOOOOOOooooo**

**Chapter Two coming up shortly! Please review and tell me what you think! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Coffee and Sincerity**

Kirk leaned back in his chair, still breathing heavily. Sulu had already plotted their course out of the sector, and Chekov was temporarily manning what was left of the Science station, but the captain couldn't shake the terror he had experienced at the thought of losing his men and the fear he still had for his Vulcan friend and officer. He went to punch the button for Sickbay on his armrest, but his miniature communications panel had shorted out just as Spock's console had, and there was no getting through to Sickbay that way.

Swallowing harder than usual, he turned to Uhura. "Lieutenant Uhura, patch me through to Sickbay," he instructed. He was taken aback when she didn't respond as instantly as her efficiency always demanded, and he quickly snapped, "Lieutenant!"

She spun around, shocked at both his presence and his snap. She quickly recovered, "Yes Captain, patching through now."

While he talked to McCoy about Spock's condition, the beautiful Communications officer couldn't help but daze off. Despite herself and the understandable situation, she had been offended by Kirk's sudden irritation and had withdrawn into a melancholy mood. She couldn't quite blame herself, because it didn't really seem like pettiness anymore. After all, Spock had been severely injured, the _Enterprise _had barely scraped out of another near-catastrophic battle, and she had just heard the sound of a whole ship's worth of creatures brutally dying. She shivered at the memory.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," she heard Kirk's voice cutting in to her thoughts. "I'll have my report to Starfleet ready in a few minutes for you to send."

"Yes, sir," she replied, numbly turning back to do her duty as top Communications officer and deal with the rest of the ship's transmissions that were still flowing in.

When she received Kirk's report, she of course noticed the missed detail of her assistance at the last second, and somewhere deep inside her something died a little. She mentally berated herself, trying to convince herself that she was being petty and showoff-ish, but she honestly could not believe that.

She was in the act of turning to mention it to the Captain when he beat her to the punch. "Oh, Lieutenant, I'll finish finalizing the report later; I..." he trailed off uncharacteristically, and her eyes immediately softened at the thought she knew was rushing through his head.

"Of course, sir," she replied, the thought of that one little detail pushed aside but not yet fully forgotten, "You should go and visit Mr. Spock. I know Dr. McCoy said he was resting, but I'm sure they both would appreciate your presence."

Sometimes her mind surprised even her; she was sure she'd zoned out while the Captain was speaking to McCoy, but clearly her ears remembered everything, just like certain people had photographic memories. She remembered the Doctor had said something about Spock having serious injuries but that he was resting and the Captain should finish up on the Bridge before rushing to Sickbay like he always did in such circumstances.

Kirk gave her a grateful glance before saying, "Thank you, Uhura. I'll tend to that report later," and rushing off the Bridge like a lost puppy.

She watched him leave, and her heart warmed a little at the thought that he hadn't meant any real harm. Hopefully, he would remember her when he rewrote the report, and until then she would just do her job well, like anyone would. Duty came first at a time like this.

**oooooOOOOOOOooooo**

Christine breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the levels on Spock's bio-bed return to normal and hold. She glanced at McCoy and shared a grin with him even as the Captain strode purposefully through the Sickbay doors.

Before anyone could say a word, Christine heard one of Sickbay's computers beeping and rushed to take the call, leaving McCoy free to talk with his friend.

"Hi Christine," Uhura's beautiful face greeted her on the screen, "How are things in Sickbay?"

Christine smiled. At first she'd been worried at Uhura's appearance, wondering if something had gone wrong, but to be honest Uhura would have called on the communications panel and not the computer if that were the case, and anyway, it was pleasant to see her best friend again after the utter chaos that had just occurred.

"Nyota Uhura, as if you don't know," Christine laughed, knowing her friend kept tabs on everything and anything on the ship through her excellent communications skills.

"Glad to know everything's going decently," Uhura replied, a twinkle lighting her eye for a second at their familiar conversation. "How's Spock faring?"

Christine glanced back at the patient before replying. "He's much more stable now," she reported, "and I think he'll come through."

Nyota's smile beamed through the computer screen. "I'm so glad!" she exclaimed. "That Vulcan can survive anything."

"And that's a good thing," Christine almost murmured, "on this ship."

Uhura's face fell, but only for a second. Speaking more tenderly, she replied, "Christine, how about we go get some coffee? My shift's almost over and I need the break. And don't try to make an excuse; I know you're at the end of your shift too, and with your patients faring well, including Mr. Spock, you don't have much of an excuse to use."

Christine shook her head. "I'm sorry, Nyota," she replied, "but they still need me here. I-"

She was cut off as Dr. McCoy's Southern voice came in gruffly behind her. "Oh, no we don't!" he insisted, winking at Uhura as he did so. "You've done more than your share of the work here, ever since you arrived half an hour early to help me sort hypos. You worked harder than any other nurse throughout the fight, and we both know that the rest of the staff can handle things now. Your shift's over; go have some coffee with Uhura."

"But I-" she started to protest.

"No," he interrupted, putting up his hands. "You're going, Christine, if I have to push you out that door myself." He gave her a second to take that in. "Go. You deserve the break." She glanced up at his tired but affectionate eyes and gave in.

"Oh, alright," she replied, giving Uhura a smile out of the corner of her eye. "Meet you at the rec-room on Deck 7 in ten?"

"I'll be there," Uhura replied.

**oooooOOOOOOOooooo**

Nyota Uhura clutched the steaming mug of black coffee in her fingers, letting its warmth refresh her aching hands. She took a deep, appreciative sniff of the steaming drink and took a long sip, reveling in the warmth that filled her up and made her relax.

"Boy am I glad we got out of that one," she commented as she leaned back in her chair. "I nearly died at the Communications station." She quickly gulped when she realized the words that had just come out of her mouth.

"Yeah," Christine replied, "we nearly had some kids die in Sickbay, too." A moment of silence overtook the two before the head nurse continued. "Luckily, we didn't lose anyone this time." Uhura released the breath she hadn't realized had been going stale in her lungs.

Christine sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead, taking another sip of coffee to try to fight off the impending headache that always followed the rushed craziness in Sickbay. She glanced up at her best friend sadly.

"Have you ever felt...worthless?" she asked. Nyota looked a little surprised at the sudden question. "I mean...have you ever felt like no matter what you do or how well you do it, it doesn't really matter? You can't save the lives you want to?"

Uhura stared at her swirling drink for a moment before speaking. "Yes," she replied quietly. "I have felt that way. It's not a pleasant feeling, is it?"

Christine shook her head. "No. It's really not." She took another steadying breath and launched into what she had started. No sense stopping now. "I feel that way, every time we go through something like this. To walk into that Sickbay and see all those people, some of them just kids, dying, bleeding...sometimes it's just too much."

Uhura nodded, countenance sad but ears attentive, as always.

"I mean, I just...no matter what I do, I don't feel like it makes a difference. I work so hard, I try with all my heart and mind, and people still die in front of me. I know Dr. McCoy has to deal with the guilt more than I do; it's no wonder he loves his whiskey, with all the kids he's seen perish while he was still trying to treat them. But I just can't get over it sometimes." Christine stopped to breathe, staring very deeply at her own cup of coffee, refusing to make eye contact after her confession.

Uhura felt the breath being drawn into her lungs, and before she could stop it she started confessing too. "Half the time, I feel like I don't do anything at my console other than say 'Hailing frequencies open, Captain' so much that it's practically my catchphrase," she admitted. "And when I actually do something I consider worthwhile, no one seems to notice. I know it sounds petty, but I...I discovered the weak point in the alien ship's hull by listening to their transmissions, and I don't think I'll wind up getting any credit for it. Not that I really want it anymore," she added in a despairing, almost inaudible tone.

Christine caught it; she had good ears too, being a nurse, and she cared very deeply for her friend. "What do you mean?" she asked, and she watched as the saddest light she'd ever seen in her friend enter Nyota's usually sparkling eyes.

"I heard them die," Nyota revealed. "All of them. I heard them die as their ship blew up. I helped kill them. I know they were our enemies but...I helped kill them."

Christine embraced her friend as the shaking started, and Nyota's tears fell freely in the shelter of her best friend's hug. "I'm so sorry, Nyota," Christine whispered, holding on to her with all her strength and support, "I'm so sorry." As Nyota's tears gradually began to lessen, Christine added, "That's what I feel like, too...whenever someone dies in Sickbay. I know how it feels."

Nyota's head jerked up. "Don't say that, Christine," she instantly replied. Christine blinked in shock before her friend continued. "It's not your fault they died. You tried to save them. What you do is so vital to this ship; you save lives, not end them. You fight to keep us all on our feet and ready to face another day. You save us when we can't save ourselves. Just think of Spock! And no one blames you for the loss of life; everyone here knows the risks of serving aboard this ship and no one here is God. If anyone does blame you, I'll have a talk with them right quick."

Christine was shocked by Nyota's words and her eyes, which had turned from despair to a fierce, fiery light. "But don't you see, Nyota?" she gasped, realizing the connection. "What you do saves lives, too. You do a job that looks easy but is nearly impossible, and you pull it off so well you're the best in the 'Fleet. Some may underestimate you, but it's you who really saved the ship today. There were sacrifices involved, but you knew whose side you were on and what you had to do. You saved all of us today. And if anyone disagrees I'll straighten them out in a second."

The two best friends smiled in understanding and hugged again, ridding themselves of tears and finishing their now lukewarm coffee. They each grabbed another one for the road as they went back to their posts, refusing to leave the crewmembers behind in the aftermath. They were women seeking to preserve life, and they still had work to do.

**oooooOOOOOOOooooo**

Uhura was busily sorting out the rest of the reports at her station when she heard the Bridge doors whoosh open. She glanced up to see the Captain and returned to her work, assuming he would get to work on the report or some other Bridge duties. She was surprised when he cleared his throat; she looked up to see him standing right next to her, an apologetic look on his face.

"Lieutenant," he started, quickly restarting his sentence, "Uhura. It has...come to my attention that I did not recognize you as I should have in my earlier report. I temporarily forgot the input that saved the whole ship, and even lost my temper with you afterwards, and quite frankly I am horrified at that. I was not doing my job as Captain, and I apologize." Her look of shock did not prevent him from continuing. "Your outstanding communications and translating work alerted us to the weakness in the alien ship, and it saved many lives. I am extremely grateful to you for your heroism, and if you read the report you'll find that it has been amended properly. I am requesting Starfleet for special honors for your bravery and expertise."

She honestly didn't know what to say.

"Also, I have been made aware that you...heard the deaths of all on the alien ship," Kirk continued, his voice broken. Her looked her in the eye meaningfully. "I am sure this has happened more than once," he added. "I would like to personally thank you for your courage and duty in the face of such an extreme consequence." His voice lowered and dropped its official overtones as he finished, "Thank you, Nyota. Without you, I might not be here right now."

His hand brushed warmly on her shoulder as he walked away, and she never forgot the look of utter kindness and gratitude that danced in those charismatic eyes that day.

**oooooOOOOOOOooooo**

Christine's eyes fluttered open as she sensed movement on the bio-bed; she'd been taking a quick nap on one of Sickbay's chairs to try to diminish her headache, but it hadn't worked very well. She glanced up and realized that Spock was sitting up, one hand on his head.

"Mr. Spock!" she exclaimed quietly, trying to keep her voice down for fear of the headache that he was experiencing worse than her own.

He glanced up at her, and whether it was the coffee or the headache, she didn't know, but she could have sworn his eyes smiled back at her. "Miss Chapel," he intoned in his usual grave voice.

"How are you, Mr. Spock?" she asked, purposefully leaving out any reference to "feeling" and watching his monitors closely.

"I am far better than I was, Miss Chapel," he replied, the tone of his voice quietly implying gratitude without his words betraying a thing.

She smiled back at him. "I can imagine," she muttered, glancing at the readout again.

"Oh yes, Christine, you missed it when he woke up first," a certain Southern voice broke in. Christine looked up in surprise to see the Doctor standing over her, checking out the readings only briefly before giving her a classic grin.

"You mean he-"

"Yes, he did. You were sleeping soundly, so I decided not to wake you," he replied with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I believe he has something he wanted to say to you. You've heard the like enough from me, so I'll leave you two alone." With a gentler, more sincere smile this time, the doctor left to tend to the other patients in his care.

"Mr. Spock?" she asked in surprise, not quite sure what to do.

The Vulcan cleared his throat briefly, something she'd never seen him do. "Miss Chapel," he began, "it has been brought to my attention that your quick thinking and skilled assistance to Doctor McCoy most certainly saved my life."

She was speechless in an instant.

"For that, I am very grateful," he finished, eyes softening warmly. "Thank you."

Her eyes widened at the significance before her lips melted into a smile.

**oooooOOOOOOOooooo**

**Fine!**

**I hoped you all loved reading this as much as I loved writing it. Please write a review before you leave and thank you so much for reading! :)**


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